About DPNCHC

About DPNCHC

Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre (DPNCHC) is a respected multi-service agency located in Toronto’s West End.

For three decades, we have played an important role in the lives of the residents of our community, assisting them to stay healthy, develop leadership skills, make positive lifestyle choices, build relationships, and work together to improve their living conditions and prospects for the future.

Our core values are equity and empowerment, and we strongly believe in each person’s capacity to take responsibility for their own wellbeing.

To this end, all of our programs and services are created in partnership with those we serve.

Our Services

DPNCHC offers a variety of services to our community in one convenient location.

Our Health Centre offers access to our dedicated team of physicians, nurse practitioners, counsellor/therapists, registered nurses, and a community dietician who work together to equip residents of our community with regular, dependable medical care. We accept clients who do not have health cards, and we offer referrals to outside medical specialists and lab services.

Our Community Support Services Programs also address health and social issues by focusing on determinants of health such as housing, social and family support, food access, education, and poverty. Through our wide array of programming, we’re able to support people from across Toronto at every stage of their lives:

Early Years

Children aged 0-6 can participate in preschool activities that support their development, while their caregivers learn from experienced parenting professionals and connect with other families in their neighbourhood.

Children and Youth

Youth between 6-24 can access free workshops, join arts and cultural activities, go on outings, get job training, volunteer in the community, and receive one-on-one support from our dedicated youth workers.

Adults

Adults can upgrade their literacy skills, receive nutritious meals, benefit from settlement support services and crisis counseling, and make new friends in their community.

Seniors

Our Neighbourhood

In the north west corner of the former City of Toronto is a community whose distinctive characteristics are the source of both its strengths and its challenges. The rich diversity of cultures and the large number of young families bring many strengths to the life of this community. Many people have worked hard to achieve home ownership and a walk through the community reveals areas where homeowners and tenants have created neat streets with well tended gardens. Residents participate in the life of the community as volunteers at service agencies and through local churches, community associations and social clubs. While the traditional industrial base is changing, small businesses and some larger manufacturers continue to offer employment.

Yet many of this area’s residents struggle with poverty, lack of opportunity and an inability to access the services they need to make positive changes in their lives. Immigrants, visible minorities and people without full status in Canada continue to face barriers to education, employment and legal protections. Housing affordability, or lack thereof, low-levels of education, high unemployment and underemployment and lack of appropriate services to meet community needs are among the major issues facing the local population.

We work with the people in our community who struggle with these issues, offering them a supportive environment along their path to self-sufficiency. Addressing their physical, mental, financial, and emotional needs, we seek to reduce inequalities and equip them with the tools they need to thrive.

Healthy cities are built from healthy neighbourhoods. So while our work is certainly grounded in our community, its positive effects can be felt far beyond our catchment borders. By creating safe and healthy environments next door, we can reduce personal, social, and economic harm to individuals and families across the city.

Community Profile: Facts and Figures

Geographically, DPNCHC is located in an area that is bounded by the CN and CPR railway tracks to the west (ie. east of Keele Street), St Clair Avenue to the north, Bathurst Avenue to the east and Bloor Street to the south. It has long been an area in which newcomers to Canada have chosen to make home, located in the second most ethnically diverse electoral riding in the province.

The DPNCHC catchment area has traditionally been a first stop for immigrants to Canada, and over the years, the changing cultural and language groups in the community have brought a richness and vibrancy to this area. The diversity of our programming reflects the diversity of the community we serve.

Demographic Highlights

Approximately 81,000 people live in the neighbourhoods that make up our catchment

34% of of tenant households are paying 30% or more of their income in rent

Become a Member

You can help DPNCHC by becoming a Member. It’s free to join and, as a Community Member, you will be able to vote on issues affecting this community at our Annual General Meeting. If you live within the area that is north of Bloor Street, south of the Old City Limits/St.Clair Avenue, west of Bloor Street, and east of the railway lines you can be a voting Community Member; if you live outside these boundaries you can still get involved as an Associate Member.

Keep in Touch

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